Editors ́ Picks

Hiding crimes behind the curtains of religion

It took the Indian legal system more than ten years to reach to a judgment in a case about the self-proclaimed Indian “godman” Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh raping two of his female followers in 2002.

In a country of over a billion people, people like this self-proclaimed holy men have been exploiting the poor, needy and marginalized peoples’ grievances by hiding their own wrongdoings behind the curtains of religious.

The 50-year-old controversial leader, which claims to have 60 million followers around the world, has been living a flamboyant life amid various controversies surrounding him for over two decades.

His conviction in the court came after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee received an anonymous letter that claimed Singh raped two female followers inside the premises of his organization Dera Sacha Sauda in Sarisa in 1999. The letter further claimed nearly 40 girls are under constant threat from Dera members.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), following the directives of High Court, filed a case of sexual exploitation against Singh in September 2002. CBI claims it has evidence to prove the rapes. Singh has denied all charges. Singh has also been accused of two murders. In July 2002, the year when the anonymous letters appeared, Ranjit Singh – the manager of Dera Sacha Sauda, was allegedly shot dead on Singh’s instructions. Later that year, in October, the editor of Poora Sach, Ram Chander Chhatrapati, was also shot because of covering the rape cases in his newspaper. The case is still under trial.

The man has also reportedly directed castration of hundreds of his devotees to get them ‘close to God’.

All this happened in Punjab province at a distance less than 300 miles from the capital New Delhi that is battling for its own survival amid alarming numbers of rape cases besides other urban and sociopolitical issues. The Indian government needs to see this growing unrest in a more holistic way by studying reasons behind people’s growing frustrations and reliance on the so-called holy men for comfort. India should address the under lining grievances of its people before they start blindly following the ‘holy men’ who can make them further ignite the social unrest, or even pick arms against the state.

Tagged as an economic and political ‘European’ migration crisis, it has seen more than 120,000 migrants arrive in Europe by sea, and 2,600 bodies washed up on European beaches from January alone. Photographs of lifeless figures atop golden sands, infants, grey in colour and innocent in their expression have been merely added to the image cache of today’s world. These are people escaping the darkest of realities.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), this figure is a third of last year’s. But while numbers might show the crisis is decreasing, it’s in fact only an indication that it is shifting – rather than coming to any sort of end.

The main focus of the mini-summit was on the central Mediterranean route, but the main question, how European countries are contributing to the crisis by the support of certain governments and corporations, still proves to be unpalatable – responsibility for neo-colonial economic policies disguised as globalisation were nowhere to be seen.

Invited to represent the three African countries who have some of the largest numbers of fleeing migrant were Nigeria, Chad and Libya.

So what has changed from this year to last in terms of the ruthless migration routes, taken on by the most desperate? Where are the other two thirds of last year’s figures? They are being held in Libya and in their own countries – unable to make the desperate journey into a life filled with false promises; only to find themselves once again lacking their human rights, in a new, European refugee camp, that boasts many of the same traits of those they fled from.

“At the core of it, it’s all about fighting illegal migration” said Merkel. No Mrs. Merkel, at the core of it is the moral responsibility to deal with the causes of the illegal migration. Placing checkpoints inside Chad, Nigeria and Libya will not help. Assisting political migrants and supporting economical changes will.

Yet what to me seems so tragically misunderstood in the summit’s conclusion, is that the decision each migrant has made to leave their country, family and culture behind, is an act of utmost desperation, birthing determination that the suggested checkpoints or crackdowns will inevitably fail to contain, leading migrants to take more perilous routes.

World leaders can preach for tougher policies on migration, they can build walls and patrol oceans, but it will never stop the migration we’re witnessing today. No checkpoint will help the deprived; only checks and controls of the money flowing into the pockets of corrupt politicians unwilling to provide their people with a better life will bring the necessary change to address the root of the so called ‘European migrant crisis’.

30.Aug

August 30th, 2017

Oiling the wheels of justice the community courts style

EDITOR:

Bob Koigi, Nairobi

Right after Rwanda’s 1994 genocide that claimed one million lives and displaced millions more from their homes, community courts were floated as a faster and holistic way to expedite access to justice, encourage ownership of crimes by criminals, promote forgiveness by victims, foster reconciliation and uphold the social fabric.

Indeed in the ten years of their existence, the over 12,000 community-based courts managed to hear and try more than 1.2 million cases, a fact legal minds argue would have taken a lifetime if the country relied on the common justice system.

These community courts, dubbed Gacaca due to the nature of their setting which is usually an open space, have received international praise as perhaps one of the most effective judicial systems where especially the poor can access justice cheaply and faster.

From Kenya’s North Eastern to Eritrea and even Nigeria, most African countries have perfected the art of blending between traditional and modern restorative justice mechanisms and they seem to be working.

In fact access to community courts seems more preferred by majority of Africans than the common legal system going by numerous studies.

According to the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, established by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, in Sub Saharan Africa over 75 per cent of the population seeks justice through customary law especially the rural and marginalized communities with limited physical, financial and educational ways to justice. The courts that usually have respected members of the society including religious leaders and elders have successfully arbitrated some of society’s pressing cases ranging from inter-ethnic conflict, inheritance and succession, family feuds and gender based violence among others.

Pundits have praised them for their expediency. In Northern Kenya, the Maslah courts for example embraced by Somali community have been known to solve murder cases in just about two hours.

While the jury is still out on whether the customary justice system dispenses justice fully considering majority of those who officiate do not have legal background, there is a growing consensus that these units have been crucial in dealing with case backlogs that would have otherwise delayed justice to the aggrieved. Equally by promoting the spirit of owning up of mistakes by offenders and forgiveness and reconciliation by the victims, they are having a great impact in building a tolerant and all inclusive society and should rightly receive the backing that they deserve.

29.Aug

August 29th, 2017

Time for political reform in Angola

EDITOR:

Maria João Morais, Madrid

Last week's elections in Angola marked the end of an era, that of president José Eduardo dos Santos, after 38 years in power. Aged 74, with his health weakened, the MPLA's (People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola) historic leader stepped down, naming General João Lourenço to succeed him. As expected, the new face of the ruling party won the elections held on 23 August.

In terms of longevity, José Eduardo dos Santos’ leadership is only surpassed by Teodor Obiang, president of Equatorial Guinea. However, only in the past 15 years has the MPLA leader ruled in a climate of peace. Until 2002, the country was ravaged by a brutal 26-year civil war that culminated in the defeat of Jonas Savimbi's UNITA. Before that, the 13-year war of independence from Portugal greatly exhausted the country.

The years of peace have been synonymous with economic growth, mainly connected with the oil boom that generated a huge inflow of dollars into Angola. The sudden wealth, however, ended up in the hands of the very few, especially the elite that surrounds the former president. His eldest daughter, Isabel dos Santos, controls the oil giant Sonangol and became Africa's first female billionaire with a fortune worth 3.5 billion dollars. Her brother José Filomeno dos Santos, meanwhile, is the head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund.

Although Angola is Africa's second largest oil producer (behind only Nigeria) its revenue has not benefited the majority of Angolans, as the country has become one of the most unequal in the world, with two-thirds living in poverty. Freedom of the press and political opposition are severely hindered in a country where corruption is strife. In 2016, 17 political activists were released having spent one year in jail after they organised a public reading of a political book.

More recently, the slump in oil prices has hampered development and plunged Angola into a major financial crisis, which will now be inherited by new MPLA leader João Lourenço. Although few people believe he represents the real political change the country needs, Lourenço should seize the opportunity to push forward democratic reforms, tackling the country’s corruption problems, as it ranks 164 out of 176 on the 2016 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index.

Two people have died so far, as the tropical hurricane Harvey hit Texas over the weekend. Over a metre of rain has fallen on the hardest hit areas, causing immense damage and flooding. Houston, in particular, is being pummelled by the storm as I write - and the city is ill-prepared for such a catastrophe. Authorities expect the death-toll to rise.

The authorities are even considering such tactics as deliberately flooding some areas, in the hope of saving larger parts - a tactic generally only used when flood defences are breached in some serious way.

Hurricane Katrina, several years ago, served as a reminder of America's failure to serve its poorest citizens, and in a sense prefigured the violence against African Americans today. Where the State was shown to assist white victims of the flood, African Americans were in general left-behind, with many even facing active opposition from police and state forces, being treated as looters without evidence.

President Bush failed that test. One of many his administration couldn't handle. And yet, his administration was a machine. It was staffed with some of the highest calibre political professionals America had: Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice, as well as more divisive figures such as Donald Rumsfeld (who is nevertheless highly competent). Trump's administration is a mess: he has surrounded himself, and subsequently alienated himself from all manner of political jokers - from Steve Bannon to Michael Flynn. And he has also offered a demonstrable boost to the Far-Right element in his country, this weekend pardoning Joe Arpaio, a former County Sheriff who was shown to engage in racial-profiling of police targets.

As such, it is unlikely Trump will be able to support the victims of Hurricane Harvey adequately. However, he could mobilise all the forces and resources he has at hand to offer a kind of 'over-determined' rescue to the victims: Sending in the army and navy and marines to help everyone, pump in millions to the local economy etc. He could basically use this disaster to show what a wonderful and able leader he is. It would obviously be no bad thing if he helped the victims of the hurricane; but I get the feeling once the storm has gone, this will all be about Trump and how he is such a great leader, a saviour, the best, the very best.

25.Aug

August 25th, 2017

The devastating impacts of misplaced priorities in Pakistan

EDITOR:

Shadi Khan Saif, Kabul

The latest official estimates suggest the population in Pakistan has swollen to a staggering 220 million figure in the country faced with grim crises ranging from acute shortages of resources to corruption, feudalism and crippling social services sector.

The country’s biggest Baluchistan province has been providing in abundance the non-stop supply of natural gas to the industrial and residential units across the country, but its own inhabitants in many remote districts remain deprived of water – not even clean – sanitation, health and education since decades.

This year’s annual budget of more than $ 40 billion by the government was not different from the past with an overwhelming allocation to the military and defense sector against a minor share for the social sector.

Pakistanis living in rural areas in relatively greener areas associated with booming agriculture have long been considering themselves lucky against the other deprived communities elsewhere. However, a recent study in the journal of Science Advances has revealed that Levels of arsenic in the groundwater of eastern Pakistan are "alarmingly high" and pose a significant health hazard to tens of millions of people who drink the water.

Groundwater samples were taken from nearly 1,200 sites throughout the country, and researchers used a model to project the likelihood of increased arsenic concentrations for all of Pakistan.

Areas in eastern Punjab - which includes Lahore - and around Hyderabad were especially likely to have groundwater that exposes large numbers of people to arsenic contamination.

Many parts of the densely populated plains along the Indus River and its tributaries showed arsenic concentrations in groundwater were higher than the World Health Organization guideline of 10 micrograms per liter

People who regularly drink water with high concentrations of arsenic face a higher risk of lung cancer, heart disease and skin disorders

There are no immediate moves from the government on the ground to address this issue, and in fact no one would have knew had the journal of Science Advances not revealed this grim reality. Pakistanis had been drinking this contaminated water for years and it seems they would continue to do so as the government continues to prioritize military and defence sector over social welfare of its people.

24.Aug

August 24th, 2017

Goodbye Old World, Goodbye Mr. Lee and Your Comrades

EDITOR:

Shira Jeczmien, London

It quickly escalated far beyond the initial spark, but Charlottesville’s march began with a controversy over the statue removal of a confederate general Robert E. Lee. Portrayed atop a horse, both man and beast pastel green with nature and time, the vainglorious ode to Lee is just one of many confederate statues, dozens in fact, sprinkled across the US, and garnishing cities around the world.

In Bristol, citizens have been demanding the removal of Edward Colston’s statue since the late 90s, after it was publicised that the celebrated philanthropist also happened to be a big time player in the slave trade. In Ukraine, all 1,320 statues of Lenin have been removed and city streets renamed since a 2015 initiative by President Petro Poroshenko. And after the violence portrayed in Virginia just a few weeks ago, confederate statues are being swiftly plucked out from the soil of 30 cities across the US.

Without realising it, per se, the recent Charlottesville march and protests across the country have inserted America into the flaming centre of a heated debate otherwise going on for decades in the cerebral sphere of academia. Since thinkers like James E. Young and Andreas Huyssen began writing about the socio-historical issues embedded in commemoration statues and monuments, what we understand as ‘the monument’ has come a long way; and thank Chronos it has.

In 1986 the Monument Against Fascism was built in Harburg, Germany. A single pillar coated in malleable metal, it was thirsty to be vandalised, scratched, engraved with whatever the public wanted to use its canvas for. Every six months the pillar was lowered into the ground, until nothing was left of it. It marked a new approach to what could be considered a monument. It was a protest against permanency, which lends itself to issues of authority; of whose story is it telling, who has it left out, and what might it represent in the future – as history continues to evolve, shifting left and shifting right.

Confederate statues were built to hold onto a culture that’s in desperate need of defeating, and of burrowing into the realms of history books instead of our streets. Executive director of the American Historical Association James Grossman said, "These statues were meant to create legitimate garb for white supremacy. Why else would you put a statue of Robert E. Lee or Stonewall Jackson in 1948 in Baltimore?"

As Trump continues to mourn the loss of “our beautiful statues and monuments”, I can’t help but wonder, if the ancient Egyptians were still around, would they fight to alter the pyramids of their vicious pharaohs, or if the Incas had a voice to protest, would Machu Picchu look the same?

23.Aug

August 23rd, 2017

Blue economy, the new frontier of African Renaissance

EDITOR:

Bob Koigi, Nairobi

Behind dozens of African pristine lagoons, azure blue waters and sandy beaches lies an extensive but untapped resource base that continues to provide food and source of livelihood to millions of Africans.

Africa more than any other continent stands to reap maximum benefits of using its seas, oceans and their resources for sustainable economic development, in what has now come to be christened the Blue economy.

Thirty eight out of the 54 African countries are coastal states and Africa is host to globally acclaimed islands including Mauritius, Comoros and Seychelles. Cumulatively, the expansive African coastline has a maritime industry approximated at $1 trillion every year.

Major ocean based sectors like tourism, aquaculture, fisheries and mining have been vital in supporting offshoot social aspects of the coastal life including food and water security, job creation and gender mainstreaming.

Still this larger-than-life economy has been largely neglected. Seychelles for example which is 1.3 million km² ocean stretch has to a large extent been underdeveloped as has been Somalia, the longest coastline in Africa.

Majority of these coastlines continue being dangerous waters having seen an unprecedented rise in piracy, illegal fishing, human and drug smuggling which have further scaled back efforts to tap into their potential.

Lack of elaborate and firm policies that govern maritime operations has seen a proliferation of crimes in these ungoverned territories where even host governments have thrown in the towel. Terrorists and insurgents in Nigeria, Libya and Somalia continue with their operations unabated.

Cooperation beyond a country’s border is a sure bet to securing the ocean territories even though this remains a tough sell for majority of African governments that are usually apprehensive of collective agendas.

The African Union has stepped up its mandate in ensuring it harnesses and taps into this all important economy through the continent’s blueprint Agenda 2063. It has indeed christened the sector, "the New Frontier of African Renaissance". And rightly so. Striking the delicate balance between sustainably exploiting the ocean resources while creating numerous jobs for millions who rely on this ecosystem for survival coupled with a concerted and firm approach to addressing maritime threats will herald an economy that is too vital for a huge African population.

"The happiest street in the world, the street where the four seasons of the year live together, the only street of the land that I wish would never end". This was how, in 1935, Spanish writer Federico García Lorca paid poetic homage to Barcelona’s Las Ramblas. 80 years later, the most famous street in the Catalan capital is well renowned for its never-ending hustle and bustle, and a melting pot of visitors and residents from many different cultures.

Now, after the recent atrocity on August 17th, las Ramblas are also a symbol of courage and solidarity. After the horrific events that took the lives of 14 innocent bystanders, images of unity and tolerance gave us some comfort. Queues to donate blood, residents opening the doors to their homes to tourists who could not access their hotels and taxi drivers transporting people free of charge are just a few examples. The words of the mayor Ada Colau summed up Barcelona’s commitment to be a "city of peace, open to the world".

Unfortunately, despite the public’s overwhelming displays of generosity and goodwill, the tragic events have also been used by various groups to fuel Islamaphobia and cultivate an anti-immigrant sentiment. A day after the killings, dozens of people gathered in the centre of Barcelona during a far-right demonstration. But it’s not only radicals who stir up such extremist views. Certain Spanish mainstream media also scapegoated Muslims, immigrants and refugees, ignoring the fact that jihadists have nothing to do with the vast majority of Muslim communities living in Europe.

It is important to avoid trivialising such indiscriminate criminal attacks on our streets. However, fuelling xenophobia and fostering hatred is not the way forward. In a country where far-right parties have fortunately been distant from the political scene, the continued cultivation of solidarity and tolerance is essential in allowing Las Ramblas to remain the happiest street in the world.

Cambridge University Press is the oldest publishing house in the world. Its prestige is real and deserved - it's published breakthrough articles, journals and books throughout its entire lifetime, by writers such as John Milton and Stephen Hawking.

It's also now - likely - capitulated to the Communist Party of China, by expunging or censoring over 300 politically-sensitive articles from the China Quarterly on its Chinese website. The articles focusing on China, discuss a diverse range of topics, from the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, to Mao Zedong’s catastrophic Cultural Revolution, from Hong Kong’s fight for democracy to ethnic tensions in Xinjiang and Tibet.

The move by the press has received widespread condemnation, and many commentators, both in the University and in the publishing industry have commented that it represents a worrying trend of capitulation to China.

“Pragmatic is one word, pathetic more apt,” tweeted Rory Medcalf, the head of the national security college at the Australian National University. What's more, Renee Xia, the international director of the Chinese Human Rights Defenders network, accused the publisher of having “sold its soul for millions of Chinese govt dollars”.

Although the press itself has said it is committed to freedom of thought, it claimed it faced increased requests from China for censorship.

One can see how this is a difficult for the press; a powerful nation demands its version of a story be circulated, else it would trade something in - perhaps it would refuse to cooperate in the future, perhaps it would withdraw funding. But dare I say such reasoning should be tossed out the window when it comes to the academy - and powerful voices should be defied. The press has now become complicit in China's rewriting of history - lending its prestigious name to that history.

We talk a lot these days about fake news. What about actual instances of academically endorsed fake-history? It's worrying to think where this path will lead. Thankfully, we have the example of Liu Xiaobo and other activists to always speak truth to power, and not to lie on its behalf.